Broadway Deli Won’t Last Too Long on Promenade

Sounds like the dream is almost over for Broadway Deli, Bruce Marder’s huge restaurant that has practically defined the southern flank of the 3rd Street Promenade for more than 20 years. The Santa Monica Daily Press reports that the restaurant’s landlord has been granted permission to shutter the space and split it in two, with retail up front and a smaller eatery in the rear. This follows the landlord’s attempts to triple Broadway’s rent in recent lease negotiations. The restaurant’s general manager says that employees are upset over the decision, while a short-term lease negotiation will keep Broadway running until new tenants are confirmed for the spaces. But a land consultant for owner Promenade Gateway LLP, possibly foreseeing the bloom of restaurants and foot-traffic when neighboring Santa Monica Place reopens, says it’s a sign of the times that Broadway Deli should shutter for something trimmer. The company’s Howard Robinson defends the decision, insisting “The message is, 8,500 square feet for a restaurant on the promenade made sense in 1988 when these guys first made their deal, at the rents back then, given what the promenade was. But it’s unsustainable today. There’s no restaurant that size that can survive.”

Will you miss Broadway Deli after 20 years? Please tell us how you feel in our comments.